The use of electronic communications, such as e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging, and the like has become ubiquitous. The speed and convenience of electronic communications mechanisms continues to displace more traditional forms of communication, such as telephone calls and paper letters. Electronic communications provided added convenience to parties engaged in communication in both business and social contexts. Furthermore, the nearly instantaneous nature of electronic communications promotes increased efficiencies in some forms of communications. For example, a letter mailed via standard post requires transit time from the sender to the receiver, which can be on the order of several days. In contrast, the transit time of an e-mail or an instant message can be measured in terms of seconds or even portions of a second.
In addition to the continually expanding use of electronic communications, there is also a continually expanding universe of devices in which user's may send and receive electronic communications. In the recent past, user's may have been limited to fixed location devices, such as personal desktop computers, to send and receive electronic communications. In today's environment, the devices used can be both fixed and portable. For example, laptop computers are portable devices which the user may use to access computer networks in order to send and receive electronic communications. Additional examples of electronic devices that can be used to access all forms of electronic communications can include netbook computers, tablet computers, and handheld personal data assistants (PDA). An ever increasing segment of user's may also access electronic communications through devices such as Smartphones, which may contain all the computing capabilities of more traditional computing devices, while at the same time also contain capabilities for making traditional phone calls. The different types of devices used by users to access electronic communications is constantly expanding.
Furthermore, the ability of these devices to access computer networks to send and receive electronic communications is also expanding. In the past, a user may have accessed electronic communications using a fixed line dial up phone connection. The user have used an analog modem to dial the local access number of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in order to gain access to the network known as the Internet, in order to send and receive electronic communications. Today, the ability to access networks has greatly increased. Portable computers, such as laptops and other devices, may be equipped with wireless technologies that allow the device to connect to the Internet from any location.
For example, Internet Wi-Fi hotspots currently exist in a wide variety of locations, from airports to coffee shops to hotel rooms. A user can typically access one of these hotspots to gain access to the Internet using a portable communications device. In many cases, the access is provided for free or at a minimal cost. In addition, may communications devices are also equipped with wireless access devices that allow the device to gain access to the Internet via the cellular phone network. The cellular phone network may provide Internet access in areas where no Wi-Fi hotspots exist. The cellular phone network may also provide Internet access to a user while he is moving. For example, unlike a Wi-Fi hotspot, where the user is generally stationary, the cellular phone network may provide Internet access while a user is traveling in a car, bus, or other from of ground transportation.
Some wireless communications devices may allow the device to access the Internet via both Wi-Fi hotspots as well as the cellular phone network. The device itself may determine the better, cheaper, or faster connection to the internet and use the appropriate facility.
Access to the Internet is now available even when the user is traveling via air. Many airlines currently offer in flight Internet access which can allow a user to send and receive electronic communications. Although such services may currently require a fee, it is inevitable that users will demand such access as part of the initial ticket price.
As the importance of electronic communications has increased, users demand more and additional functionality from there communications devices. For example, users generally require that communications devices operate simply and reliably, and allow the user to communicate in the most efficient manner possible. Users also desire an easy to use interface on their communications devices. The interface should be customizable by the user in order to let the user communicate in the most efficient manner possible. Furthermore, user communications devices should utilize network bandwidth in the most efficient way possible.
Embodiments of the present disclosure address these issues individually and collectively.